How to Use Hair Extensions
If you’re searching for a beautiful, versatile way to transform your hair, extensions are a great choice because they’re easy to use and instantly effective. You can incorporate them into your everyday routine or wear them just for special events, like weddings and photo shoots. When you get hair extensions, they add length and volume to your natural hair. You can also use them to change hair color without damaging natural hair with dyes and bleach. Extensions are also great for creating complex hairstyles that require more volume than your natural hair provides.
Whatever your reason for using them, unless you go to a professional, you’ll need to learn how to put in hair extensions yourself. With a guide on hair extensions from Posh Hair Company, you’ll get an in-depth overview of how to use clip-in hair extensions. They’re one of the most popular types of extensions and offer amazing versatility for your everyday look. So start reading now to learn more.
Hair Extension Materials
If you haven’t bought hair extensions yet, you should take a look at the different materials available. How you put in hair extensions ranges depending on the material, type, and glue. At Posh Hair Company, we only use real human hair because it looks more natural, offers more versatility, has a longer lifespan, and is more durable when it comes to styling and heat. In addition to human hair, you may also see regular synthetic hair and heat-friendly synthetic hair.
5 Types of Hair Extensions
How you put in hair extensions will change due to the type you choose. Some are temporary, while others are semi-permanent. Here are some common types you might see in stores:
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Keratin Glue
These are bundles of hair with pre-applied glue. You use a heat gun to melt the glue at the tip of each bundle and apply bundles in rows near the roots of your natural hair, fusing the two clusters together.
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Weave or Sew-In
You braid tracks of hair extensions into your natural crown using a needle and thread. Depending on how you put in the hair extensions and how much hair you have, this can take up to five hours.
These are pre-taped wefts of hair extensions that you tape to the root of your hair. They’re quick to apply in about an hour and last about two months.
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Micro-Link
With this technique, you attach the bundles of extensions to your natural hair via a micro-bead or link that keeps it in place.
With these wefts of hair, you have the option of a silicone or fabric base that has small comb-like clips. You use the clips to attach the wefts to your natural hair. Clip-in extensions can last up to an entire year!
At Posh Hair Company, we recommend clip-in extensions because you can do them yourself in 30 minutes or less, they offer more styling versatility, they’re more affordable, and they last longer than most other types of extensions.
Instructions: How to Put In Hair Extensions
Now it’s time to actually learn how to use clip-in hair extensions. Follow this step-by-step guide to practice and you’ll quickly become an expert!
Materials:
- Your Clip-In Extensions
- Large Hair Clip or Soft Scrunchie
- A Rat-Tail Comb
Instructions:
- Using your comb, separate your hair into two sections with enough hair in the top section to hide the extension clips.
- Use the large hair clip or soft scrunchie to hold the top section of your hair in place.
- Now use the comb to separate the lower section of your hair into the same number of wefts you have.
- Find the appropriate length weft for the first section you want to apply and position the clip near the roots of your hair.
- Clip down and tug gently to make sure it will stay in place. Once secure, you can move to the next section of hair.
- Take the completed section of hair and add it to the bundle at the top of your head to access the next section easily.
- Repeat steps four through six until you’ve clipped in every hair extension weft. You may only have two or three wefts or as many as 10 wefts.
- Style your extensions and natural hair together, gathering bundles of both for heat styling and parting.
Making Them Look Natural
Now that you know how to put in hair extensions, we should backtrack a little to talk about choosing the right extensions for your hair. We recommend finding extensions as close to your natural hair color and texture as possible. You can choose extensions up to two shades lighter or darker to keep your hair looking natural. It’s also an option for you to dye your human hair extensions to match your natural hair, but this can shorten their lifespan. Finally, you should purchase extensions that are a little longer than your natural hair so you can trim and layer them to create a unified style.
Caring for Your Extensions
Learning how to put in hair extensions isn’t the only thing that ensures they look natural and last for as long as possible. Caring for them appropriately is also crucial.
How to Wash Clip-In Hair Extensions
- Remove your extensions and detangle them by hand or with a brush.
- Soak them under lukewarm water until they’re completely wet.
- Massage shampoo into each bundle from top to bottom.
- Rinse the shampoo out with running water, finger combing to prevent tangles.
- Repeat step three with conditioner, letting the product sit in the hair for several minutes.
- Rinse under cool running water to remove all traces of product.
- Gently squeeze out excess water.
- Use a wide-tooth comb to brush out knots and tangles.
- Lay your extensions out to dry flat on a towel away from direct sunlight.
Hair Care with Posh Hair Company
Have we clarified how to put in hair extensions and how to care for your pieces so they last even longer? If you’re looking for even more answers, explore our blog or reach out to our team for additional details.